Thomas Tredway of Maryland


Mention of Thomas Tredway’s Inn

Gentleman’s Progress-The Intinerarium of Alexander Hamilton, 1744
University of Pittsburg Press, 1948
Donated by Jared Treadway


Dr. Alexander Hamilton was a Physician from Scotland who emigrated to Annapolis ca 1741. Dr. Hamilton took a tour of the colonies, and wrote of his experiences. The following is what he wrote in regards to Thomas Tredway::

[pp. 6-8]

I put up at one Tradaway’s about 10 miles from Joppa. The road here is pritty hilly, stonny, and full of small gravell. I observed some stone which I thought looked like limestone.
Just as I dismounted at Tradaway’s I found a drunken club dismissing. Most of them had got upon their horses and were seated in an oblique situation, deviating much from a perpendicular to the horizontal plane, a posture quite necessary for keeping the center of gravity within its propper base for the support of the superstructure; hence we deduce the true physicall reason why our heads overloaded with liquor become too ponderous for our heels. Their discourse was as oblique as their position; the only thing intelligible in it was oaths and God dammes; the rest was an inarticulate sound like Rableais’ frozen words a thawing, interlaced with hickupings and belchings. I was uneasy until they were gone, and my landlord [Thomas Treadway], seeing me stare, made that trite apology – that indeed he did not care to have such disorderly fellows come about his house; he was always noted far and near for keeping a quiet house and entertaining gentlemen or such like, but these were country people, his neighbors, and it was not prudent to disoblige them upon slight occasions. ‘Alas, sir!’ added he, ‘we that entertain travellers much strive to oblige every body, for it is our dayly bread.’ While he spoke thus, our Bacchanalians, finding no more rum in play, rid off helter skelter as if the devil had possessed them, every man sitting his horse in a see-saw manner like a bunch of rags tyed upon the saddle.
I found nothing particular or worth noticing in my landlord’s character or conversation, only as to his bodily make. He was a fat pursy man and had large bubbies like a woman. I supped upon fry’d chickens and bacon, and after supper the conversation turned to politicks, news, and the dreaded French war; but it was so lumpish and heavy that it disposed me mightily to sleep. This learned company consisted of the landlord, his overseer and miller, and another greasy thumb’d fellow who, as I understood, professed physick and particularly surgery. In the drawing of teeth, he practiced upon the house maid, a dirty piece of lumber, who made such screaming and squalling as made me imagine there was murder going forwards in the house. However, the artist got the tooth out att last with a great clumsy pair of black-smith’s forceps’ and indeed it seemed to require such an instrument, for when he showed it to us, it resembled a horsenail more than a tooth.
The miller, I found, professed musick and would have tuned his crowd to us, but unfortunately the two middle strings betwixt the bass and treble were broke. This man told us that he could play by the book. After having had my fill of this elegant company, I went to bed at 10 o’clock.
Friday June 1st The sun rose in a clear horizon, and the air in these highlands was, for two hours in the morning, very cool and refreshing. I breakfasted upon some dirty chocolate, but the best that the house could afford, and took horse about half an hour after six in the morning.

[ pg. 198]

On his journey home- I dined att my old friend Tradaway’s, whom I found very much indisposed with fevers. He told me it had been a very unhealthy time and a hot summer. I should have known the time had been unhealthy without his telling me so by only observing the washed countenances of the people standing att their doors and looking out att their windows, for they looked like so many staring ghosts. In short I was sensible I had got into Maryland, for every house was an infirmary, according to an ancient custome.